El guadalupanismo en comunidades indígenas en Los Altos de Chiapas

In the last decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the study of religious phenomena in Chiapas has focused primarily on the analysis of non-Catholic communities in indigenous contexts, as well as on the reconfiguration of religious identities, originating from the expulsions of differences between religious affiliations, among other topics. For this reason, it is necessary to contribute with approaches that detail the implications of some Catholic rituals and allow us to explain these manifestations as mechanisms that shape territories, interactions, and symbolically sacred borders. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to show how the contemporary Guadalupan cult has been formed, mainly in the sanctuary of the community of Pocolúm in the municipality of Tenejapa and the chapels located in the communities of Cruz Quemada and Cruztón, belonging to the municipality of Chamula, in the Highlands region of Chiapas. Municipalities that have experienced a process of constant evangelization by Protestant churches since the 1930s. Thus, the document is organized first to analyze the characteristics of a sanctuary and a chapel, then reflect on the importance of the territory as a marker of faith. Finally, the last two sections describe the Guadalupan spaces, serving as a gateway to understanding the construction of a cult as significant as Guadalupanism in these indigenous communities in Chiapas. The data described were obtained in interviews and visits to these places between 2021 and 2024.